Farewell to Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson

THUNDERBIRDS creator Gerry Anderson died in his sleep yesterday after battling Alzheimer’s Disease.

Published: 00:01, Thu, December 27, 2012

Thunderbirds' creator Gerry Anderson has died

The TV and film producer, who also famously worked on Captain Scarlet and Space: 1999, was 83.

His death was announced by his entrepreneur son Jamie on his website and Twitter.

Jamie Anderson, 27, wrote yesterday: “I’m very sad to announce the death of my father, Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson.

“He died peacefully in his sleep at midday, having suffered with mixed dementia for the past few years.”

What a great creation Thunderbirds was, as it fuelled the imagination of a generation.

Comedian Eddie Izzard

Anderson made his name in the Sixties with science fiction puppet shows, which included Stingray. Among his creations were Lady Penelope, Brains and Joe 90.

He pioneered a technique called supermarionation that enabled puppets’ speech to be synchronised with their mouth movements.

Yesterday tributes were paid to the man who changed the face of children’s entertainment.

Jonathan Ross tweeted: “For men of my age his work made childhood an incredible place to be.”

Comedian Eddie Izzard also tweeted: “What a great creation Thunderbirds was, as it fuelled the imagination of a generation.”

Anderson, who lived in Nuffield, near Henley-on-Thames, won an MBE for services to animation but had never wanted to work with puppets.

In an interview with the Daily Express in 2010, he said: “In an effort to get out of it I tried to make them better and better so the directors would say, ‘Why is this man wasting his talent with puppets? We should give him some live action to do.’

“But they actually said, ‘Isn’t he good at these puppet shows?’ So I ended up doing more.”

Anderson, born in north London in 1929, began as a plasterer but an allergy to dust ended that career.

In the 1950s he set up a film production company with friends. Offers of work were slow until writer Roberta Leigh arrived with scripts for a show called The Adventures Of Twizzle.

He jumped at the opportunity but found it had to be made using puppets.

Yesterday the family asked that donations be sent to the Alzheimer’s Society, of which Anderson was a celebrity ambassador.

He is survived by his widow Mary, 63, their son Jamie and three other children – Joy, Linda and Gerry Junior, from marriages to first wife Betty and second wife Sylvia.